North Carolina Executive Order No. 305: An Order to Protect and Restore North Carolina’s Critical Natural and Working Lands

Signed by Governor Roy Cooper on February 12, 2024, Executive Order 305 sets the most ambitious environmental and restoration goals in North Carolina history. It notes that North Carolina is experiencing the impacts of climate change in the form of more intense and frequent hurricanes, extreme temperatures, flooding, droughts, sea level rise, and saltwater intrusion. The Order states that these impacts are endangering the people of North Carolina, are hurting the economy, and have caused over 250 billion dollars in damage in recent years. These impacts, along with other factors including the 2015 Paris Agreement, Sackett v. EPA, and the role of natural lands and ecosystems in North Carolina’s climate resilience, informed the goals and directives of this Order.

The Order declares that “[i]t is the goal of the State of North Carolina to diligently protect, restore, and enhance natural and working lands” that provide functions and services such as ecosystem and community resilience, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, clean water, and protection from floods.  

 Specifically, the Order sets the following goals to be achieved by 2024:

  • Permanent conservation of one million new acres of forest and wetlands
  • Restoration of one million new acres of forests and wetlands
  • One million new trees planted in urban areas

In addition, the Order directs state agencies to implement the strategies in the 2020 North Carolina Natural and Working Lands Action Plan.

The Order also includes a series of directives. Section 3 of the Order directs the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) to close natural and working lands knowledge gaps by updating wetland mapping data, evaluating the feasibility of obtaining updating land cover data, identifying the number of natural lands by category, developing ecosystem vulnerability analyses, and engaging with academic partners. 

Section 4 of the Order directs DNCR and DEQ to protect vulnerable wetlands and other critical ecosystems by identifying the geographic boundaries of the ecosystem, considering potential adverse impacts of grant-funded activities on these ecosystems, and recommending new national landmark designations to the National Park Service.  

Section 5 of the order directs state agencies to adopt a No-Net Loss Policy and Lead by Example Policies. Under the No-Net Loss policy, agencies shall minimize construction that adversely affects forested lands and wetlands, minimize impacts when no reasonable alternative construction site exists, and strive for a net gain in wetlands. Under Lead by Example policies, agencies shall pursue competitive funding to support wetlands protection and restoration, consider conservation, resilience, and biodiversity benefits during grant, permitting, and leasing processes, and incorporate ecological benefits, social benefits, and climate impacts into the Natural Heritage Program Biannual Protection Plan and the North Carolina Conservation Planning Tool.  

Section 6 of the Order establishes a Native Plant Policy that directs all state agencies to only use seeds and plants that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has classified as native to the Southeastern United States, with some exceptions including turf grass, plants used in scientific research, and crop cultivation. 

Section 7 of the Order directs state agencies to promote statewide conservation and resilience through nature-based education, public awareness, and incentivization of use of lands for floodwater diversion or retention. It also directs agencies to support conservation, restoration, and climate resiliency initiatives on natural lands within or owned by Tribal communities. 

Section 8 of the Order directs agencies to convene with stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of the order and collaborate to identify grant opportunities and funding to support the goals of the Order. It also requires agencies to incorporate environmental justice considerations and equity benefits into the implementation of the Order. Additionally, it requires DNCR to develop an updated Natural and Working Lands Action Plan every three years.

Publication Date: February 12, 2024

Related Organizations:

  • North Carolina Office of the Governor

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  • Executive order

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